Mary’s Carpet Update
Mary’s Carpet Update:
About this time last year I started researching carpeting and installation options. I visited 7 different stores and had 3 people come out to bid the project. A year later & I am still in love with the results and have zero complaints.
I can’t recommend these people enough. Here’s who I ended up working with and why:
My carpeting purchase was small potatoes. There’s not a lot of real estate to cover on my boat and thus, not a lot of incentive for the sales people to spend time with me.
I bought my carpeting from Jeff Johnson with Great Floors in Silverdale, WA. 360-692-7732
Jeff was awesome. He was patient, personable & attentive but most important; Jeff was familiar with marine carpet installation and explained why one product might work better for me than another. My selection cost $3.19/sq ft and was a product they stocked in-house.
I learned that on a boat you want:
- Medium to heavy face/density – too light and the backing shows through when you wrap edges, hatches, etc. Super high density has diminishing returns, so it might not be worth the price.
- Mid depth is preferred – too short and again, the backing can peek through. Super long shag and your high traffic areas tend to show more compression.
- Avoid Berber or closed loop – they unravel and the backing often shows through on wrapped edges. I originally wanted Berber because I thought the low pile and woven design would be easy to keep clean and would hide dirt/footprints. No other salesperson ever mentioned the drawbacks to this.
- Mix or pile cut is best, especially a high twist – Cut edges don’t unravel like a looped product. The high twist adds texture and it resists compression in high traffic areas.
- You want texture so try to avoid a solid color. Carpets that have strands of multiple colors (think speckled) will provide camouflage for those areas where seams bump up against each other, like around the engine room hatch in my salon. They also hide dirt better.
- Use only synthetic products, no wool or other fibers that will attract moisture. Same thing with padding. No natural fibers.
I replaced the carpeting in my galley with vinyl.
- I opted for a hefty, loose-lay vinyl that does not require it to be glued down. Again, something that Jeff recommended.
- You want a flexible backing for vinyl.
- Steer clear of anything with a felt backing – you want it to be rubbery.
The vinyl I selected cost $3.29/sq ft.
While I purchased my carpeting from Great Floors in Silverdale, they delivered it to their Lynwood store which was close to my installer.
The installer I used was the same guy Pau Hana recommended:
Jason Hennerberg based out of Edmonds .
425-422-3197
Be patient when waiting for a reply.
Jason came out to Poulsbo to take a look and provided me with an estimate free of charge. From his detailed questions about how I use the boat, how often I access this or that, what do I like/dislike about the current install, I could tell immediately that he was an experienced marine carpet installer. The other installers just asked me what I wanted. They never offered advice.
Jason pointed out details on my twisty stairs that he could correct and made suggestions on how to cover and easily access my numerous hatches and storage areas. Jason does his own binding and at a fraction of the cost of the other guys.
We discussed the change to vinyl flooring in the galley and how my crappy subfloor would need some prep so the vinyl wouldn't be bulgy & bumpy.
I asked about using the leftover vinyl in both of the heads. Jason took some measurements and figured out that if I bought an extra 6" he could do it. So I did. Nice.
When discussing carpet & vinyl selection, his suggestions mirrored everything Jeff had told me.
But the best part? Jason’s firm bid was less than half what the other guys bid. Seriously. Jason and his dad, Jesse, run their own biz. Low overhead = better prices for customers.
So, here I am nearly a year later and everything looks as good now as it did right after installation. I had the boat out for 2 months straight this summer and my carpeting has withstood red wine spills, ketchup & mustard globs, a gallon of dog urine (no kidding), guests dripping saltwater everywhere…hey, I think I need some different friends!!
I hope you find this long-winded update useful. Feel free to post or PM with any questions.
Cheers,
AKMary
